New film festival to put WA in limelight

• Film buffs Jasmine Leivers and Matthew Eeles say WA filmmakers don’t get the credit they’re due, so they’ve created a new three-day festival to put their best efforts on the big screen.

A NEW three-day film festival launching in March next year aims to give WA’s unsung film-makers the opportunity to shine in the spotlight.

The WA Made Film Festival will run March 13-15 at the new Palace Cinemas in Raine Square and is the brainchild of Cinema Australia founder Matthew Eeles and producer Jasmine Leivers.

Mr Eeles says WA produces some of the best short films in the world and has a passionate but modest following, but a lack of opportunity can result in real talent not getting the recognition it deserves.

He points to 2015 crime thriller Pinch, a little gem written and directed by Jeffory Asselin and featuring Craig Hyde-Smith (Cloudstreet) and Ben Mortley (McLeod’s Daughters) as one that flew under the radar.

Small budget

“It was a small budget feature with a lot of talent, great acting and a good director, but he hasn’t made another feature since; perhaps as a result of being burned out,” Mr Eeles said.

Exposure can be even more elusive for film-makers in country areas, so Mr Eeles (a Northamite himself) says they’re also pitching hard to get them to nominate for the festival.

“There’s a lot of heart-felt stories being told in the country, especially indigenous stories.

“Everyone has a phone these days, so it’s not as hard to make a film as it was 15 years ago … we want those no-budget and low-budget films as well.

Ms Leivers added: “Getting your film funded is not easy for any film-maker, so we’re particularly interested to see what’s been made here on a micro-budget level.”